Destined One
by Kalle
Summary: *Ch. 9!* A tale about a girl with a strong gift who is in her training years. Not too good with the training, she must teach herself to become better if she wants to succede. Touched by a strange goddess, she struggles to complete her destiny! R +R!
1. The Library

This is a new fan fiction that I have been working on. Since I am very eager to know what you guys think about it, I am posting it earlier than I have planned. Don't worry; I'm not dropping this one. In fact, I already have a bunch of chapters finished! This story is basically about a girl named Christina and how different people and choices influence her life. I don't want to say a lot about it because I want you to read it. So, please read and review! Even if you absolutely HATE it, I'd love to know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tortall or any of the familiar characters. They belong to Tamora Pierce. All the characters you do not recognize are mine, along with the plot. 

Without further ado…

Chapter One: The Library

            It was a warm, summer evening in the capital of Tortall, Corus. A group of young pages came in the library and sat down at the long table in the middle of the room. The sun had already gone down, leaving a blanket of darkness behind. A cool breeze came through the open window, carrying the sound of an owl's song. 

            "You know, some day, Collin, you'll want to get that in writing," laughed Bradley as he dumped all his books in the middle of the table and slumped down into an empty chair. He was a second year page, average height, with sandy brown hair, brown eyes, and a freckled face. 

            "Maybe I will," chuckled Collin, grinning widely at George as he followed suit with Bradley. Collin was also a third year page, a bit taller than Bradley with hazel eyes and dark hair. 

            "Hey, hey, hey. I said you were the best archer in the group of us, not in the whole palace. Don't let it get to your head," said George, another third year. Tall for his age, he had bright green eyes and chestnut colored hair. He sat down and neatly pilled his books in front of him. Then he laid his ink and quill beside it. 

            Collin and Bradley gave him a sideways glance and raised eyebrows at him. George was an exceptionally neat person, and neither of them could figure out why. George ignored them, as usual. 

            The group of five began to pull out their work for the night, when a girl of ten came around a bookshelf carrying a book. It looked like she wasn't able to manage it; the book must have weighed as much as her. She was tall for her age, with mouse brown hair, which was pulled back in a side-ways ponytail that came over her right shoulder. Her eyes were almond shaped, which gave her that look which most girls envied. She wore a light summer dress of periwinkle that accented her clear blue eyes. The fabric was of a rich material that hinted that she was a noble. 

            She dropped the book with a thud at the far end of the table, where other books, quills, and inkwells lay dispersed. She gave a startled look at the boys who were staring at her. She hadn't heard them when they had come in.

            "Oh, hello." Her voice was accented in common. She sat down and flipped the book open and began to read. Every couple of seconds she stopped to scrawl something of a piece of parchment. She was so deeply emerged in her note taking that she didn't realize that the group was still looking at her. It was not so common to see a young girl working so hard in a library at that time of night. 

            Collin was the first of the group to speak. "Uh… excuse me, but, uh, who are you?" Bradley elbowed him in the arm. 

            The girl looked up from the book giving an even glance back at the boy who had so rudely spoken to her. She took no notice of it, however, and acted as if he had been polite to her all along. 

            "My name is Christina," and seeing no need to further explain herself she turned her eyes back to her book, and continued writing. But this wasn't enough for Collin.

            "What are you doing?" 

            "Collin! You're being rude," George whispered through his teeth across the table. Realizing Christina was now watching them, her turned at her, raised his eyebrows and smiled as an apology for his friend's behavior. 

            Christina sighed, seeing that there was no way around this prying group of boys. "I'm researching," she paused, "about the wars."  The pages dropped their jaws at this. 

            "Because you _want to!" said Bradley. He looked at her like she had three horns coming our of her forehead. _

            Christina sighed again, looked at her book and breathed a very audible, "Yes," as she flipped the page over to reveal a map of Tortall. 

            "Well, what about them? What exactly are you looking for?" questioned George, obviously interested. 

            Christina was startled to see that he was interested in what she was doing, and was not going to poke fun at her for being out of her place. 'Does he care, or is he just setting me up for a joke? But he seems interested. Oh, I don't care what he thinks. I don't even know him, anyway.'

            She looked him in eye and evenly replied in a calm manner, "I'm researching the methods and tactics that were used to win the war, and how they succeeded or didn't."

            George leaned back in his chair. 

            "I don't understand. Why are _you interested in this," exclaimed Bradley. _

            Christina shrugged. She didn't want these _pages to know that more than anything she wanted to be a knight. Lately, she was using all of her free time studying things that pages would be learning in their studies. Surely they would laugh at her if she told them this. _

            Collin snorted into a laugh. George gave him an apparent look of disappointment. Christina tried not to show she was hurt. She wasn't going to let these insensitive excuses for young men get to her. 

            "Yeah, it doesn't make sense! I bet she can't even use a weapon. So why is she studying wars!" grunted Collin.

            Christina felt the anger rise in her. 'Can't use a weapon! I'll show him "can't use a weapon"! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I don't know anything about weapons!' She coolly stood and walked over to stand next to Collin, who was still laughing, with on hand on her right hip. With as much poise as she could muster, she said, "I can too use a weapon. And I'll prove it to you. Pick the time and place." Her face was placid and smooth. 

            This stopped Collin in mid-chuckle. He looked up at her, pushing away his chair as he stood. Her head came up to his nose. His posture was loose and easy-going, showing that he found this offer extremely amusing. 

            "And the weapon?" he snickered. 

            "You pick." This showed that she was serious. Collin straightened a little. 

            "This is insane, I could break you in half!" 

            Christina has prepared for this remark and put a sly smile on her face. "What, afraid you'll lose to a girl? You're right, better not take the chance." She winked at him. 

            Collin's face became smooth and stern. "The bow, tonight, unless its past your bedtime." He grinned at this. Christina narrowed her gaze.

            "Fine. Meet me at the archery fields at dawn. Don't be late." Without another word she gathered her notes, pilled her books, and left the library before Collin could say anything else to annoy her. 

            "Collin, you sure you want to do this?" asked George.

            "You saw her!" Collin yelled, pointing at the door she went through. "She thinks she can beat me at archery." He sat down smugly in his seat, crossing his arms. After all, archery was his best talent. 

            "Wait. What about curfew. We can't be caught out of the palace that early, can we?" Bradley remarked.

            "No one says you have to come," assured Collin.

            "Ha, I'm not missing this, even if is does mean more work if we get caught." Bradley went back to his work, with a smile. 

            George was deep in thought, looking up at the ceiling. "Hey, who do you think she is?"

            "Beats me," shrugged Peter, a second year, who had joined the study group that night. 

            "Well, she's obviously a noble," stated Brendan, another second year page. 

            "How do you know that?" asked Bradley

            "Well, for one thing, she speaks like she has been educated. Her clothes are not common in the least. And she has to have enough privilege to use the library, and be able to challenge you," Brendan nodded at Collin. 

            "Well, it doesn't matter. She's not going to win. You said it yourself, George. I'm the best archer in the group," replied Collin. 

            "That doesn't mean she can't beat you," said Peter. "Just because she's a girl. The Lioness and Lady Keladry have both proven themselves. You can't hold that against her." 

            "Yeah, well… I don't care. I can't lose to a girl!" 

            The bells rang ten times, telling the pages they better be heading for their rooms. 

            "Okay, we should be getting back. Let's meet at 4:30 in the main pages hall," said George, "and don't tell anyone else about this. I don't want to get into trouble."

            The other four raised their eyebrows at him, showing that they weren't planning on telling anyone anyway. 

            "OK, ok. I just don't want to get caught," replied George. 

The pages nodded their response and agreement. They gathered their books and work and headed back to the page's wing to try to get sleep before the dawn came.


	2. The Challenge

Here's the next chapter. By the way, I should have made it clearer. I am NOT dropping "Seat of the Magpie." It's still a work in progress, and I can't promise anymore soon…. Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad to hear that people like it and the story so far. It makes me so happy whenever I get a new review! And yes, I would even like flames if you absolutely hate my story. So R & R and enjoy!

**Disclaimer** Same as before

Chapter Two: The Challenge 

            Christina was up before dawn, dressed and ready to go. She wore a cream colored frock. The morning air was crisp and cool. Christina smiled; she had a good feeling about this day. 

            She went to the corner of her room to retrieve her bow that a good friend of hers back on her fief had given her. She ran her delicate fingers along the curved, smooth bow, worn from all its use. She smiled again. 

            Christina went and kneeled in front of the fireplace with her bow in front of her. She casually laid her hands down on the cool stone floor on either side of her. She closed her eyes. She took in a few breaths and let them out slowly, concentrating, and relaxing her body and mind. Christina gave a silent prayer to the goddess, thanking her for the wonderful morning and asking her to be with her for the challenge. 

            Feeling more confident, she stretched her arms out. When she was finished, she grabbed her bow, quiver, and a cord for her bow, and headed through the door out into the quiet hall. She was ready. 

******************************** 

        One by one, the pages gathered in the main hall as the bell tolled half past four. Peter was the last one to come. As he was coming up the hall, seeing he was late, he started running towards the group. 

            "Shhh…." All the pages whispered at Peter, with one finger over their mouth.

            "Sorry, sorry," mumbled Peter as he joined the group.

            The pages gave him a look as they headed through the door leading to the archery fields. The morning air was fresh and cool. They made their way in the shadows of building down to the archery field. In silence, they tiptoed along the crunchy, frozen grass. Fall would be coming soon. 

            Collin was the first to reach the shed where all the archery gear was stored. Followed closely behind were George and Bradley. Soon after, Peter and Brendan arrived. 

            "Damn, its locked," exclaimed Collin. George groaned.

            "Let me see it," he said. He put his back between the pages and the lock. No one saw navy blue fire enclose around the small lock. Before long, George stepped back and said, "Ok, I got it."

            "Wow, how'd you do that so fast?" Bradley said.

            George shrugged, "I'm just good at picking locks." 

            Collin went inside, and picked out all the equipment he would need. He came out ready, with a grin on his face.

            "Why are you so happy?" asked Brendan.

            "I just thought of something," Collin replied.

            "And what would that be?" George said, raising his eyebrows.  

            "What if Crystal doesn't-"

            "Christina," George corrected.  

            "Whatever!" Collin was clearly agitated. "What if she doesn't show up? Then I win, right? She's probably too scared to show up, anyway."

            "I wouldn't be too sure about that," Christina said walking up behind them. The pages turned and looked at her, surprised she actually had shown up. She leaned on her bow a bit, looking at the group. Suddenly she turned to stare straight at Collin. "Well, Collin, are we doing this or not." She said it more as a statement, then a question. 

            "Yeah, whenever you're ready."

            "I'm ready," she assured him.

            "Alright," Bradley began, "Me and George here are going to be the judges. You will use seven arrows. And, well, basically, whoever gets their arrows closer to the middle wins."

            "Yes, that would be the general idea," laughed George. 

            Bradley groaned, "Sorry."

            "Right, let's go." Christina went over to the last target, the one that was farthest away from the standing line. 

            "We're using that one," exclaimed Collin, wide-eyed. 

            "Well, unless you can't shoot this far then I guess –"

            He cut her off. "Of course I can." Collin brushed by her and began setting up. Christina shrugged her shoulders and began to do the same. She stringed her bow, and laid out some choice arrows. She was ready. 

            Bradley began the commands.

            "Straddle the line." 

            "Knock the arrow."

            "Fire at will." 

            Christina breathed in. She raised her bow, and closed one eye. 'A little higher than the middle…' she thought. She pulled back her string past her ear, making it taut. She released. She glanced at the target, and sighed. She had missed the middle by two inches. 

            'I can do better,' she told herself angrily. She ignored what Collin was doing, and how well, and continued to knock her second arrow. She raised it, and pulled back. This time aiming more accurately, she released. Without hesitating to look at the target this time, she continued to knock her third arrow. Using the same methods, she shot all her remaining arrows. 

            After her last one, she unstrung her bow, and coiled it, tucking it into the pocket of her dress. She turned towards the target. Six of her arrows had struck at the center, splitting each one that was underneath the previous, including one of Collin's. Only one of his had hit dead center, all others were scattered around the middle area. 

            'Damn,' she thought, 'I split my set of arrows again! I have to stop doing that.' She made a mental note to herself. 

            Collin still had one more. As she waited silently, she glanced at the other pages, who were watching. They were all whispering, pointing from the target to Christina. She frowned, turning back to Collin, who had finished. His last arrow had missed the center by half an inch. 

            Peter elbowed Bradley. "Oh yeah," Bradley said, "Retrieve your arrows."

            Christina looked at him puzzled. Peter elbowed him again.

            "I mean, right after me and George judge. George?" He nodded in George's direction. 

            "No need to walk over there. It's obvious. Christina won." George crossed his arms. 

            "You sure?" asked Collin. 

            "Yup. Take a look yourself."

            Collin walked over to the target. Christina stayed where she was. He regarded the arrows for some time before he sighed and trudged back towards Christina, shoulders hunched. He lifted his hand.

            "Good job. You won," he said sincerely.  She took his hand and shook it, looking him in the eye. "Thank-you," she said back. 

            She then walked over to the target and began pulling her damaged arrows out of the hay target. Collin leaped after her. 

            "I didn't know anyone could shoot that well. I mean, you spilt all your arrows and one of mine!"

            "Not all of them, and sorry for that."

            "Don't worry about it," he said, pulling his own arrows out of the target. 

            The other pages came up behind them. 

            "That was some mighty fine shooting you did there," Brendan said. 

            "Sure was!" George said, giving her a pat on the back. She smiled.            

            'They're congratulating me! Did I really win their respect?" she thought to herself, still beaming. 

            "Can you teach me how to shoot that well?" asked Peter. She couldn't believe it; they actually accepted her now. Before they had just brushed her aside. 

            "I'd love to."

            "Uh, sorry to break this up, but we have to split, and now!" Peter was barley audible. 

            The group looked around. The castle was beginning to stir, and the morning patrol was beginning to assemble. Each looked at each other, knowing the same fear. If they were caught out at the archery fields without "proper" supervision, they could get into trouble, even Christina. 

            "OK. Collin, put your gear back into the shed and lock it." Collin nodded as George gave the order in a whisper. "The rest of us, let's move." He pointed his head in the direction of the entrance the pages had used to leave the palace. The group began to move toward it in single file, using the shadows of the early morning light to hide them. 

            As Collin caught up to the group, Christina was unintentionally pushed towards the back of the line. 

It was risky, Christina realized. That entrance would have a guard stationed there momentarily. She thought fast. She dropped and scooped up a handful of soil. As she stood, she sprinkled it about her, and whispered some words. Almost immediately, small, pink sparks began to illuminate around the group. She was happy. 

As they reached the entrance, George walked over to the door. Navy blue light he thought only he could see stretched towards the hinges, surrounding, and then melting into them. Collin walked over and opened the door. It made no sound as all six of them passed through the doors unnoticed. 

George led the pages back toward their wing. Christina followed, not knowing where she was. As the group progressed throughout the many turns and twists, George noticed Christina lagging behind. He gave many side-ways glances at her from the beginning of the line. 

Finally, the group reached the pages' wing. Collin opened the door separating the wing from the rest of the palace. As he did so, George turned to look at Christina. She looked weak and tired. She was leaning against the wall with her hand on her head while Brendan, Bradley, and Peter filed in noiselessly toward their rooms. George went up to her. 

Just then, they heard a noise coming from a connected hall way. Christina dreamily looked toward the hall. By the sound, George knew it was the morning patrol.

"Come on," George whispered as he pushed Christina through the door into the pages' hall. The door closed behind them. Collin was just ahead of them, halfway into his room. George heard the patrol coming closer. Taking one look at the door to the main hall and at Christina's small, weak body, he pushed her into his chamber, and locked the door behind them.  ****


	3. New Ideas

Sorry this has taken so long to update. I've just has so much work to do. This week I had 3 tests, and 4 quizzes. I've been busy. Junior year sucks. But about this chapter. So far, this is my favorite chapter! It gives insight to both Christina and George's character. And (sigh) finally hints at the plot of the story. Sorry it has taken so long. I already know the basic plot line. I'm just working on how to get there. This is not it. The plot gets a bit more twisted, as you will learn within the next 5 chapters or so. I don't really know, I haven't written them all. Anyway, please read and review. I hope you enjoy! 

**Disclaimer** same as before

Chapter 3: New Ideas 

            Dazed and perplexed, Christina sat down on the edge of George's bed. She hunched her back and head over her knees. George grabbed a chair and swung it around to face Christina. He sat down, watching her. 

            'Why do I feel so weak and tired,' she thought. 'I'm so heavy… wait, where am I?" Slowly, she picked her head up and raised it to find bright green eyes looking hers back. Startled, her eyes widened and she leaned back against the wall, waiting for him to make the first move. 

            Feeling awkward, George also leaned back in his chair, and he began to speak. "Uh," his voice cracked. "Can I talk to you?" As she looked into his bright green eyes and saw he was genuine, she relaxed and shrugged her shoulders. 

            "Well, what do you want to talk to me about?" she was a little confused. 

            George began to have more confidence in what he was about to suggest to Christina. He smiled. 

            "I wanna know. Do you want to be a knight?"

            In surprise, she shook her head, open mouthed and confusingly looked back at this boy. She felt like she had been hit in the head, hard, and that she was now waking up to reality. She was speechless. She had no idea this was what he wanted to discuss, what he knew was true. She slowly realized that her dream to become a knight was stupid and all he wanted to do was laugh at her and make her fell dumb. She didn't know how to act, and said the first thing that came to her mind. 

            "Wait, what?"

            "It's a simple question. Do you want to be a knight?" he uttered it slowly this time so Christina could fully absorb his meaning. 

            She calmed down, and regarded him. 'Does he want to make fun of me? Laugh at me? Why does he want to know! What can I say? Yes, no? I can't lie…' She looked up from her lap into George's eyes. She was scared. She sighed and looked away. 'Drat. His eyes don't give his thoughts away. Do I trust him?' she looked back, but this time, she saw something different. She couldn't place it. Without another hesitation, she said, "Yes." 

            "Well, I agree." He said easing the tension that he had created. "You have talent."

            "I have talent," she stated back. 

            "Yeah, that's what I said." Replied George. 

            "Well, I'm glad you think so. I'm leaving now." She stood up and began walking towards the door, but George was on her heals. 

            "Wait! I'm not done talking to you!" He grabbed her elbow and spun her around so she was facing him. Christina wavered a little, then put her hand behind her on the wall to steady herself, looking down at the floor. 

            "Whoa, are you ok?" 

            "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She tried to clear her head from her sudden dizziness. 

            "Sit down."

            She turned her head up and looked him in the eye. "I said I'm leaving."

            "We still need to talk."

            "Talk! I haven't even known you a day. What could you possibly need to talk to me about?"

            "Well, for one thing, the reason why you're so dizzy and weak."

            She gave him a sharp look, and realized she had to get out of the room. "What are you talking about?" 

            "Did you think none of us would notice? Or do you think that we are all just too stupid to notice." 

            Christina began to get scared. In almost a whisper, she muttered, "Notice what?" 

            "Don't play dumb here, Christina of Heron's Grove." 

            She took a step back, finding the wall in her way. "How did you know that?" 

            George shrugged. "I have connections in the palace. I know why you're staying at Corus. But that's not the point. The point is, is that you're a smart, talented girl with a lot of magical ability who deserves to have the chance to be a knight. I'm just trying to get you to see that." 

            Christina felt herself shrinking into the wall. She didn't know what to do. The door was too far and George was standing a foot from her, anyway. She slid down the side of the wall, bringing her knees up to her chin. She fought tears. "You don't understand… what do you want?" 

            George sat down next to her, giving her some space. Steadily, he replied, "I want you to go talk to Sir Laeorn of Vanhassin, the knight master, about becoming a page." 

            "I can't! You don't understand. You don't know anything!" Christina stood up suddenly, too suddenly, and tried to make it for the door. She stopped half way and tried to regain herself from her dizzy spell. Her hands were at her temples, with her eyes closed. 

            George knew she was too weak to go anywhere. He guided her towards his chair, and she sat down. "I know one thing," he began. "Your Gift is the strongest I've seen. So strong, that you body's weak from the use of it."

            Again, Christina felt scared. "…What are you talking about?"

            George tried to be patient with her. "Don't play around here. I already told you that I noticed what you did."

            "Then what did I do?" 

            Taking a seat on his bed, George said, smiling, "You made us all invisible." When he uttered those words, Christina looked up at him in shock. "It's an old spell. I'm surprised you knew it." 

            Not for the first time that night, Christina didn't know how to react. She decided that she might as well save them both some time and stop playing around, and just go with it. George obviously wasn't going to let this go. "Surprised I knew it? What about you?"

            "What about me?" George smiled. 

            Then Christina remembered something that happened earlier that night. George looked at her perplexed. "What is it?"

            Now Christina smiled. "I don't know why you care so much about me and how I try to hide my gift, when you try to hide your own."

            George frowned. Christina laughed, and George couldn't help but join in. "Jeez… I should've know I couldn't hide it from you." 

            Again Christina didn't know what to do or say. "So…."

            "So are you going to talk to Sir Laeorn tomorrow?"

            She looked up at him, hiding nothing in her eyes. "I told you, I can't."

            "Why not? You're a noble and have just as much right as I do. I don't know what it is about you, but something tells me that I have to get you to do this." 

            Christina was scared. She hadn't known this boy for more than a day and already he knew more about her than her own family did. She had hidden her gift from everyone as soon as she had learned about it. No one but George knew she wanted to become a knight. She felt like her privacy had been invaded, yet for some reason, she wasn't mad at him. For some odd reason, she felt like she could trust him. Things weren't making any sense. 

            "You don't understand. Do you know anything about my family?" George shook his head from side to side. She sighed. "I'm an only daughter to my father, Sir Feroun of Heron's Grove. I have a duty to him and my family to –" 

            "No, you don't. It's your right. You have to make him see that. You're destined for something. What it is I don't know, or how I know it." 

            Christina began to get angry because he wasn't listening or understanding her. "Good question. How did you know who I was? How did you know about that spell I did, if you weren't anywhere near me? How do you know this is what I'm meant to do?" 

            "You name I learned from a servant in the castle. The magic I sensed when I first met you. But when you did the spell… your gift is so strong that I could _feel it surrounding us. I didn't need to be near you. You don't get it. I don't know how I know. You're just going to have to trust me. This is what you must do."_

            In anger, she turned her face from his. She sighed. There was no way her father would allow her to become a knight, not when she was his only heir. Sir Feroun liked the old ways. Women were not supposed to be knights. She sighed. 'It's my dream,' she told herself. 'If I'm truly meant to be a knight, then it will happen…' Her thoughts trailed off. Slowly she stood up and walked towards the door.

            "Wait, where are you going?"

            "To bed."

            "And Sir Laeorn?"

            "I'll talk to him tomorrow," she muttered. She wanted him to realize that it was her decision to actually talk to the knight master, not George's. As she exited the room, she looked over her shoulder. George had a huge grin on his face.

She sighed. "Damn," she whispered to herself.  


	4. Lady Lessons

Hello! Hello! I'm terribly sorry that it has taken me song to update. I had some awful writer's block and I couldn't think of a thing to write. But I sat down and forced myself to write another chapter, and here it is! Another soon to come. I am conveniently using my fanfic to procrastinate my homework (which I have yet to start). Please review! And enjoy! ~kalle

Georgie: Sorry this has taken me so long. But here it is! Enjoy!

Aer: eeeeexxxxxxxxxx-roooooommmmmiiiiiiieeee!!!!!! I have written another chapter! I hope you like it. oh and…. Did you ask Derek??? **wink wink wink*** I luuuvv you!!

Chapter 4: "Lady Lessons"

            The sunlight poured onto the stone floor through the east window. Slowly she turned over, inhaling a subtle scent of lavender, which grew under her window. Opening one eye Christina glanced around her room. She forced herself to sit up. Then she remembered last night and how she had promised George to talk to Sir Laeorn, the training master. Christina let out a groan. 

            'How did I get myself into this? Why, why, why… ' Her thoughts trailed off as she got out of bed and walked to the wash basin. Christina washed her face and brushed her teeth and hair. Next she proceeded to the chest.

            'What should I wear… can't be too feminine, or he won't take me seriously. Blue? No…' She groaned again in frustration. Finally she decided on a simple green dress. She tied a matching ribbon around her low ponytail and headed to breakfast. 

~*~

            Down in the kitchen, she met Maelerin, a maid in her teen years who had been assigned to watch Christina. She wore a plain dress and apron. Her auburn hair was done in a messy top knot. 

            "There you are," Maelerin said. "I was just about to wake you."

            "Well, I'm already up," Christina answered looking up into her bright blue eyes.

            "Breakfast is waiting for you. Oh, and I'm to remind you to go to your lessons today." Christina frowned.

            "I hate them. Why do I need to learn how to sit and eat properly? Lady Quearin always says my stitches are too big. She's always telling me that I'm clumsy and never going to find a husband." 

            Christina had been at the palace for a few weeks while her parents were visiting friends in Corus. She begged them to let her come and see the marvelous capital. Reluctantly, then agreed upon the condition that she would take "Lady Lessons," as her mother called them. Poor old Lady Quearin was just too boring for Christina's tastes. It didn't take her long to navigate her way to the library and skip her lessons. 

            Maelerin laughed. "Well, you're being rude by skipping them. Make sure you show up today. The poor old dear, you really do break her heart!"

            "Her heart? What about my sanity!" Laughing, Maelerin nudged Christina toward her meal.

            "Eat up, it's getting cold." Christina leisurely walked over to the small table in the corner of the bright room.  Lessons were at ten. 'Good thing I'm up a little early. I'll have to go speak to Sir Laeorn after I'm done eating.' As she started on her luke warm porridge, she realized that she didn't know where to find him. She shoved the food into her mouth as the cooks gave her strange glances. 

            "Do you know where I can find Sir Laeorn?" Christina asked after she had finished her meal. 

            The cook gave her a perplexed look, but did not question the girl. "I believe you can find him in the east wing…"

            "Thank-you!" Christina shouted over her shoulder as she ran from the kitchen. 

~*~

            Lord Laeorn sat at his desk looking through some papers. His dark brown hair clumsily fell into his face. He carefully set it right again, just to have a drop of sweat run into his gray eyes. As midday was drawing closer, the room began to heat. He seemed very frustrated.

            "Where is it?" he mumbled to himself. Then he heard a small knock on the door. Letting out a long drawn out sigh, he said, "Come in." Lord Laeorn hated to be interrupted. 

            The door opened a crack, and a small brown-haired head slid into the gap. "Excuse-me sir," a small voice said from the door, "But may I have a word with you, sir?" Christina was nervous. She could feel her palms sweating. The heat wasn't helping either.  

            Lord Laeorn was confused at this request. Never the less, he complied. He could spare a moment from his work to see what this girl wanted from him. "Please come in and take a seat," he said as he motioned her towards the chair in front of his desk. 

            Christina slowly moved into the room. It was fairly large for an office. It had one window located behind the desk, which was positioned in the middle of the room. She curtsied and sat down, smoothing her skirts as she had been taught to do. 

            The training master folded his hand on his desk . "Now, tell me your name and your business." 

            "Yes sir. My name is Christina of Heron's Grove," she paused, taking a deep breath. "I am here because I wish to become a knight." 

            His eye's flashed in shock. Her surname was familiar, but she was here by herself. That didn't make sense. The fact that she wanted to be a knight puzzled him as well. He looked at her. She had a slender frame but was tall for her age. Her skin was had a hint of brown, telling him she had spent time in the sun. Her features were angular, but her eyes were pretty. She had clear blue eyes that were patiently awaiting his answer. He cleared his throat.

            "Where are your parents?" 

            'That's an odd question,' she thought to herself. Shrugging to herself, she said, "My parents, the Lord and Lady of Heron's Grove, are visiting friends in Corus."

            Sir Laeorn posed his next question very carefully. "Why do you wish to become a knight?" 

            Christina had known that he would ask this. Although her answer was prepared, she was still nervous. She fought to keep her voice from cracking. "I want to be a knight so that I can help those who are unable to help themselves. I want to serve my country and my king by protecting the land and the people. Being a knight is about knowing what's fair and using the authority one has to enforce it."

            The Lord narrowed his gaze and looked at her. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This young girl siting before him had more of an understanding about what being a knight meant than some of the knights he was training. Yet, something inside was screaming that she was a girl. He sighed. 'That shouldn't be an issue anymore,' He thought to himself. 'The question is, do her parents want her to do this, and is she up to the task.'   

            "Do your parents know that you are here?"

            "No, sir." She looked him right in the eye.

            "I'm sorry, but there is nothing that I can do until I have word from your parents about this." Christina's shoulders dropped, and she fought tears.

            'Warriors are strong!' She reminded herself. 'I will not cry!' She looked back at the training master. He was giving her an apologetic look. She did not want his sympathy. 

            "Then may I request another meeting with my parents present, sir?" 

            The Lord smiled. "Of course you may. But, remember, it is not my decision. It is your parents'." She nodded.

            "Are you available tomorrow morning for the meeting, sir?" If she really did have a chance at becoming a knight, she would need the evening to work on her parents.

            "That time is most agreeable, Christina." Her heart failed a moment when he said her name. She inwardly sighed. 

            Rising from her seat she said, "Thank-you. Good day, my lord." Christina curtsied and left the room taking her radiating presence with her. 

            'I can't believe it. A girl of that age must have a lot of courage to seek knight hood without the approval of parents. Heron's Grove…. ah! Lord Feroun. He won't be happy when he hears that his daughter wishes to become a knight.' Laeorn smiled at this amusement. 'There's something about her… her composure maybe…' He shook his head. "She really is dead set on becoming a knight." 

~*~

            Christina ran down the hall, tears staining her face and dress. She faintly heard the bell chiming ten o'clock. She didn't care if she was late for her "Lady Lessons." She couldn't believe what she had done!

            'How could I? My parents will hang me for even thinking of such a crazy thing. And when I tell them that I met with the training master himself..?' She shuddered at the thought. 'I've really done it to myself this time. Lord Laeorn expects me tomorrow.. with my parents…' 

            Suddenly she found herself at Lady Quearin's door. She dried her eyes and knocked. A faint voice answered her. She walked into a bright room. There were three large window with pretty pink curtain. The sitting room was overplayed with the color. There were pink chairs, sofas, pillow, and even pink roses in pretty pink vases! Lady Quearin sat in a cozy chair by the fireplace, with a look of absolute disgust on her face. 

            "Good gracious, child, what happened to you?"

            Christina checked herself over. Her dress was stained with tears. Her face was sticky from crying, and her hair was disorderly. She shrugged. 

            "Well never mind. You're late, but at least you came this time." The old woman gave her a piercing glance. Then with an air of superiority and a flick of the wrist she said, "A lady is never late, but perfectly on time." 

            "Well I am not a lady. If I were one, I would arrive exactly when I mean too, not a minute too early or too late." 

            The woman gave her another stare, then sighed with defeat. "Stop standing. Sit down and take a book and read to me." 

            Christina complied but couldn't help but think that it was going to be a long afternoon. 

~*~

Well, that's it. Personally, I don't think it's my best. I'm taking an awful long time to get her to where I want Christina to be in the story. But be patient, and I promise there will be action soon! Stay with me here! Thanks!

~Kalle


	5. To Knight, or Not to Knight

Finally, chapter 5 is up! I'm really sorry that it has taken so long. I've been so busy with exams. Exams suck. Teachers who give exams suck * _glares at English teacher who should have given a paper instead of a final exam  * In fact my last one is tomorrow. And it's math, ugh! But instead of studying, I finished this chapter, which I think is the longest yet (to make up for the time). Not a whole lot of action, but it needed to be written. Don't worry, I promise that there will be action in the next chapter! _

Aer: You get to meet her parents! I'll be home by tomorrow night, so give me a call. Maybe you could come down and see Kat and I. I miss you! I called you but you were at a ski meeting. I'll try again. 

**mElz: Thank-you for reviewing my story. I hope you like this chapter!**

**Tigress FN: No this George has nothing to do with the George of Pirate's Swoop. I hope that this was fast enough for you! Enjoy!**

**Serpent Mage: I'd glad that this got you interested. I'd really love your input, so please leave another wonderful review!**

**American Pie: I know exactly what you mean! When I started this, I wasn't even thinking about the George of Pirate's Swoop. But, alas, I posted it before I could change the name. I don't know if it is too late to change it now. Let me know what you think. And don't worry. There is not change that Christina will me a mary sue. Just wait till the next chapter!**

**panda from enemaldae: I'd glad to see that you are still interested. Please enjoy this chapter!**

**Lilith Ha: It makes me so happy to hear that you love my characters and my writing style! Here's the next chapter, enjoy! **

Chapter 5: To Knight, or not to Knight

            It was twilight now. The sun had disappeared into the darkness of the coming night. The stars were slowly revealing their place in the endless sky. Christina was pacing impatiently in her room. She was dressed in her dinner clothes, and she was waiting to be called to her parents' presence. 

            She waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, a knock came on the door and Christina sprang up to open it. When she did, she found Maelerin. 

            "Do my parents want me now?" she eagerly asked. 

            "Yes, they are waiting for you in their chamber. You are to have dinner with them there. Now, let me look you over." Maelerin looked the girl up and down, tugging her dress to fit just right. "There. Off you go!"

            "Wish me luck!"

            Maelerin laughed. "Luck with what?" 

            "I'm going to ask them if I can be a knight!" With that, Christina skipped out of the room, leaving a very confused maid. 

~*~

            Christina traced the lines in the stone wall as she walked to face her parents' door. She was nervous. Christina dried her sweaty palm on her dress. "Well, here it goes," she said as she knocked on the door. "Come in," a low voice came from the other side.

            She walked in to a magnificently decorated room. Unlike Lady Quearin's room, this one used more than one color very tastefully. The deep green curtains were drawn for the evening. There were two large chairs in front of the fire, where her parents were seated. Lord Feroun was dressed in his finest reading a book by the light of a warm welcome fire. Her mother, Lady Aquillia, had her hair done up elegantly. Her deep rose dress accented her hazel eyes. 

            Her father looked up from his book. "Christina, please sit." She didn't hesitate. Christina sat upon a footstool in front of the fire, sweeping out her skirts, as she had been taught that very day.

            Without looking up from her knitting, Lady Aquillia asked, "Tell us about your day, dear."

            Christina thought for a moment before she began. She took a deep breath and spoke. "I went to go see my Lord Laeorn this morning." Now she had her parents' attention.

"Lord Laeorn… that sounds familiar." Her father said.     

"Yes father. He is the palace training master." 

"The training master." He looked at her sharply. "What were you doing with the training master?"

"I asked him if I could train to become a knight." She looked her father straight in the eyes.

"Dear, why would you do that?" Lady Aquillia looked from her husband to her daughter, very confused. 

"Because, becoming a knight is my dream. I want to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and-"

"I don't believe what I am hearing. My only daughter talking about becoming a knight! I won't here it!" Lord Feroun fumed angrily. 

"Well, you might have to. We are all to meet with my Lord Laeorn tomorrow morning." Christina's voice wavered against her father's anger. 

Her mother couldn't believe what she was hearing either. She was stunned and just stared at her daughter wide eyed. 

            "What! What are you thinking, child! We have not raised you so you can parade around waving a sword like those other Lady Knights. They are hooligans who don't know their place in society."

            "Feroun-" Lady Aquillia said. Christina fought back tears. She couldn't stand hearing about her hero's like that. 

            "Roaming the country side acting like men! I won't have it! My only heir talking such nonsense. I will not have your honor tainted with that riff raff. Knighthood is for men. 'Tis unladylike! You will not be mixed up in what was made for men." Her father bellowed. 

            "Feroun," her mother said again.

            "For years I was against Lady Alanna. And then King Jonathan made that law, and along came Lady Keladry! They do not belong. They probably slept themselves to where they are now. I will not have you among that sort!" 

            "Feroun!" Lady Aquillia stood to face her husband. "That is enough. Saying 'no' would have been adequate. But you do not need say such things about Sir Alanna and Sir Keladry. They have both proved themselves to be useful assets to the crown. And you know better than to speak like that outside the safety of your own walls." 

            Lord Feroun glared at his wife. "Then you are on her side? You think that we should allow her to take on her page years, Lia?" 

            "I think that this is a delicate matter that we need to discuss without the presence of our daughter." Aquillia gave a sympathetic glance towards her daughter. 

            Lord Feroun let out a long sigh. "Very well. Christina." She sat up when she heard her name. "We will speak with Lord Laeorn tomorrow, but I promise you nothing." His tone was harsh. "Please take your supper in your own room tonight."

            Christina looked at her mother. She nodded. With that, Christina stood, gave a low curtsy, and left to return to her own room. 

~*~

            After Christina had changed into something more comfortable, she heard a knock on the door. Expecting the maid with her dinner, she opened the door. Only, she didn't find Maelerin, but George, Peter, and Brendan instead. She looked at them with a raised eyebrow. 

            "Uh… can we come in?" George asked.

            "Oh, yeah. Sure." Christina opened the door wider so they could come into her room. 

            "What are you doing here?" She questioned George. 

            "Well aren't we the rude one," George teased.

            "Sorry, I'm just surprised, that's all." She answered. 

            George shrugged it off. "I came to see if you had spoken with my lord, and these two said they'd tell if I didn't let them come along." 

            "He said that he'd convinced you to be a Lady Knight. We all didn't believe him, so I came to see for myself," Peter said. George shrugged again. "And Brendan is always following me," Peter added. 

            "I am not!" Brendan retorted. Peter smiled.

            "So?" George pushed. 

            Christina turned around and walked towards her bed. "I talked to him."

            "So he doesn't lie! What did my lord say?" Peter prodded.   

            Christina took a seat on her bed. "He said that there was nothing he could do without the consent of my parents. So, I talked to them. My father isn't too keen on the idea. My mother and he are discussing it as we speak. But he did say that he would meet with Lord Laeorn tomorrow."

            "That's better than nothing," Brendan offered. 

            Christina sighed. "I knew it wasn't going to work. My father is a conservative and I'm his only heir. He's completely against the idea. I don't think anything will make him change his mind." 

            "I'm sure everything will work out." Peter said.

            "Yeah, I mean, it has to…" George was lost in his thoughts. 

            A long stretch of silence followed. All just sat and thought about what could happen, what would happen, the what ifs. Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Christina jumped up. She walked over to the door, and opened it a crack. It was Maelerin. 

            "I have your supper for you." Christina just starred at her. "Well, open the door. Let me in," the maid said gently. 

            "Uh. I… I…." She glanced over her shoulder. "I'm not hungry." She said finally. 

            Maelerin narrowed her gaze. "Who's in there," she said. 

            "No one!" Christina replied.

            "You answered that I bit too quick for my taste." Maelerin pushed the door open and walked into an empty room. The maid had a confused look on her face. 

            'Thank-god!' Christina said to herself. 

            "Well. Here it is. Eat while it's still hot," Maelerin said. 

            "Ok," Christina managed to say.

            The maid walked over to the door and opened it. She turned around to the young girl. "You know, you don't fool me."

            "What are you talking about?"

            "I know more than you think. I'll be back in a half hour to collect the plates," Maelerin added as she closed the door behind her. 

            When she turned around she saw a head coming out from under the bed, and two heads poking from the door to her dressing room. 

            "It's messy in there," George remarked coming out of the second room.

            "As I recall, your room wasn't too neat either," she replied. 

            "George's room not neat! You must have caught him on a bad day. Our George here is the neatest person I know," Peter stated. 

            "Anyway, we better be heading back." George started walking towards the door. 

            "Yeah, I'd hate to be caught at this hour." Brendan followed George.

            "Find us tomorrow and let us know how it goes," Peter said before leaving.

            "Bye!" They all called over their shoulders as they closed the door behind them. 

            Christina was glad that they had come. She needed a little comfort after he fathers rant earlier. She had been on the verge of tears and utter anger. How could he speak of the Lady Knight's like that! She didn't understand. She sat down on her bed as sleep instantaneously overcame her. 

            She never heard Maelerin come in later and pull the covers over her, taking the tray as she left. 

~*~

            There was a dangerous silence in the chamber where Lord and Lady of Heron's Grove were taking their dinner. Lord Feroun pushed the food back and forth on his plate, obviously too occupied to eat it. His wife too small, deliberate bites. 

            "Lia," Lord Feroun said breaking the silence, "Do you really believe that she should start page years?" 

            "I don't know. I must say that I have never thought of it. But the way that you were speaking to her and the way that you were speaking of the Lady Knights… you must be careful where you say those things. We are not on our own feif now."

            He sighed. "I know, I know. I just can't believe that she would ask. You would think by now that she would know how I feel about such things." 

            "She must really want it if she could muster the courage to talk with Lord Laeorn without consulting us first." 

            Feroun let out a small laugh. 'Well, there's no doubt that she's my daughter."

            "Feroun, would it be so bad if she was to become a knight?" He dropped his fork and looked at her with unforgiving eyes.

            "Yes, yes it would be so bad. Women are not supposed to become knights. And she's my only heir. What if she was killed in training? What then?" 

            "Well, yes," Lady Aquillia said, "but when was the last time that you heard of a page being killing in training?" 

            Feroun couldn't think of one. "That's not the point."

            "Then what is?" 

            He eyed her carefully. "Lia," he started, "Are you a progressive?" 

            "I don't think that that's the situation at hand."

            "Of course it is. Answer the question, Lia." 

            She paused. "Yes, Feroun. Yes I am." She saw the anger rise in him.

            "Mithros, I am cursed! Am I the only one in this world who is against this whole thing!"

            Lia knew that it was not a rhetorical question, yet she said, "Yes, I believe you are." 

            He narrowed his gaze at her. She met his with full confidence behind her stare. Lord Feroun pounded his fist angrily into the table, shaking all the plates and silverware that lay on it. 

            "I still have the last word in this family. Christina will not become another one of those Lady Knights. As long as I am around, it will not come to pass!" With that, he got up from his seat and stormed into the bedroom. 

            Lady Aquillia placed her head in her hands and closed her eyes. There had to be some way to make her daughter's dream come true, but how? 

_~*~_

_Don't be rude_

_If you have read to here._

_Leave a review_

_And get a loud cheer! _

_-Kalle_


	6. Progressives Take the Lead

A/N: Happy Martin Luther King Day! Forgive me for taking longer than a month to get a new chapter up! I've had such a horrible case of writer's block that was unexpectedly broken last night. I wrote this whole chapter last night. I also rethought my plot. Things are going to start taking shape, so get excited! Read, review, and enjoy!

Aer: Two updates in less than 24 hours. Lucky you! I'm not sure if this chapter came out the way that I wanted it to. Let me know what you think. 

Lilith Ha: I'm glad that you like Lady Aquillia. She is a strong woman. Thanks for reading my story! I hope you like it.

Tigress FN: Yes, without her mother on her side, she probably wouldn't get this chance. Enjoy!

American Pie: I like Peter too! Not too much of him in this chapter, but he will be in the next one.

Lady Isabelle: Thanks for reading and reviewing my story. We see more of the father in this chapter. I hope he turned out ok!

Declan White: Sorry this too so long to get up. Thanks for reviewing. I hope you like this chapter!

Moranar: I owe this chapter to you. I read your review, and felt just horrible that it has taken me so long. I had no idea my story was in demand! Well, here it is. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Progressives Take the Lead

            Nervousness filled her body. Today was it. This was her only and finally chance to get what she had been wanting her whole life. She had been up for hours. Christina was already dressed as she paced back and forth in her room. 

            'Ok ok. Stay calm. Breath. It isn't that big of a deal. It's just a silly little knight thing. Oh, who am I kidding? This is everything to me. And when was the last time you got anything you wanted? You're not going to get it. You heard father yourself. He is completely against it. I've never seen him so upset before. Be strong. You're not going to cry when you don't get it. Show them that you're not upset.'

            She paused and walked over to the open window. Outside, the birds were chirping. Noise came from over the wall. The city was busy. They didn't even know that she was up for her page years. Nor did they care. What does another Lady Knight mean to them? Christina inhaled deeply, exhaling all her worries and anxieties. "I'm ready. Do your worst, I can take it." She exhaled again. "Goddess give me strength," she whispered out into the gentle breeze. 

~*~

            Sir Laeorn could feel the tension in the room. The family sitting in front of him just stared at him, waiting for him to begin. The father, Lord Feroun, had coldness in his blue eyes. It reminded the training master of ice in the winter, which wasn't that far away. He could tell by the way the man positioned himself that he didn't want to be here, that he thought it was a waste of his time. His eyes next rested on the girl. Her face was pale and her palms were sweating. He could tell that she was nervous or scared, or both. The mother, on the other hand, looked ready. Her hazel eyes and rosy complexion gave him a sense of tranquillity. With this, he found the strength to begin. He cleared his throat. 

            "Thank-you for coming, Lord and Lady of Heron's Grove," Sir Laeorn began. Lady Aquillia nodded her head.

            "Well it wasn't exactly my idea," Sir Feroun said as he looked down at his daughter. 

            The training master ignored the comment. "Your daughter came to me yesterday, asking if she could become a knight. I told her that it was up to her parents to decide. I've asked to meet with you to discuss the issue."

            "There is no issue," Lord Feroun said bluntly. "I do not wish my daughter to become a knight-"

            "I, on the other hand, support the idea," Lady Aquillia interjected. The couple exchanged cold stares. The disagreeable man crossed him arms. 

            "Well it seems like we are in a predicament. You and your daughter, milady, wish Christina to become a knight, but you, Sir Feroun, do not wish this?"

            "No, my daughter will not become a knight so long as I am the master of our household."

            "It looks to me that you are outnumbered, sir." The training master perceived. 

            "My daughter's opinion does not matter. She should not concern you. I see no further need to stay.  Excuse me," Lord Feroun said as he rose from his seat. 

            'There has to be a way to make him agree,' the training master thought to himself. 'She deserves a chance just as much as any of those boys.' Then he got an idea. A brilliant idea. "Lord Feroun, are you a conservative?"

            This stopped the man dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around with an unreadable expression on his face. "What?"

            "Are you a conservative? I would have thought in these times, change would be accepted. And as one of the oldest families, I would have hoped that you would start an example for the country." He had him. 

            "My views are not at all _your concern. What I chose to do with my daughter is none of your business. I will not have this discussion." He spat out bitterly.  _

            "But you will have to someday, my dear," Lady Aquillia spoke gently, so as to not upset her husband any more than he was. "Why not now? Why not be known as the first conservative to send your daughter to the castle?" 

            He paused and thought about this a moment, but shook his head. "No, no. Women have no reason or need to become knights. It is not their place."

            "Feroun!" Lady Aquillia hissed at him. He turned his gaze to her and fixed her with a cold-hearted stare. Never, never had he thought his _wife_ would contradict him. "Mind what you say," she whispered, eyes just as unforgiving as his were. 

            Sir Laeorn cleared his throat. "Conservatives are dying in number. You must realize that whether you support the idea of Lady Knights or not, more will come. You cannot stop it."

            "But I don't have to support it." His words stung Christina, who had been sitting in silence. She had to say something. She couldn't let her chance go by and not do anything. 

            "Why not, father?" She startled him. "The king does, and so does the country. Why can't you? Why must you stay in your old ways?" Her words shocked herself.

            "Yes, the king does support it," Lia said. "No doubt he will hear about this and learn of your conservative habits. How will you look to him then, Feroun? You will lose favor with him. Our fief will be forgotten, and our family along with it. The name this family has will lose all its honor." 

            He was trapped. There was no way around that obstacle. Honor meant everything to him. The worst part was he knew she was right. He would lose favor with King Jonathan. Sending his daughter to the castle would earn his approval. He would be the first conservative to allow his own daughter to become a Lady Knight. That would surely make his name known. But it went against everything he believed in. 

            Lord Feroun slammed his fist into his thigh in frustration. "Fine," he breathed almost inaudible. "Fine.  Christina will," he gulped, "become a page."

            Christina could hardly contain her excitement. She was so sure that he would never allow such a thing to happen. She was sure that she would be stuck becoming a lady for the rest of her life. All she wanted to do was give her father a giant hug, but she knew better than that. That sort of action would just upset him all the more. 

            "Very well, as you say," Lord Laeorn said. "She is already a week behind, but I'm sure she will have no trouble catching up. Christina will start right away, after lunch would be most preferable." 

            Lord Feroun was too annoyed to speak, so his wife answered. "That's fine. I'll have her things sent down right away. Thank you for meeting with us." Lady Aquillia rose to leave. The training master rose to see her and her daughter out. "Aren't you coming, Feroun?" 

            "I'll be with you in a moment. I would like a private word with Sir Laeorn." Lia nodded, and led her daughter out, who was so giddy with anticipation that she forgot to thank her training master. 

            When the door closed, he spoke. "I want you to treat her like a boy. If she wants the occupation of one, then she should have no privileges because of her sex." His words were harsh.

            "She will be treated the same. Have no fear. She will be pushed just as hard as any of her year mates." 

            "I want her pushed harder. I want her to realize that she never should have even asked for this. She will get her shield, of course, otherwise she will shame her family, but I want her to have earned it three times over." 

            Lord Laeorn couldn't believe his ears. How could he ask for such harsh punishment? No doubt he would push her, but enough to make her suffer? It didn't seem right. "She will be treated the same. No privileges or convictions." They stared at each other for a good long minute before the silence was broken. 

            "Do as I ask, or you will find yourself in a peculiar situation," the aggravated man said. And before the training master could protest, Lord Feroun had left the room. Sir Laeorn was left contemplating what the man had said to him about the young girl who was to start her page years. 

~*~

It was noon on the same day. The glittering sun shone brightly over the capital. It was one hot day, indeed. Christina followed the training master outside. The pages were already in the practice courts, stretching and preparing for the coming exercises. They were situated in rows according to their year. 

            Christina spotted the pages she was already aquatinted with. She was relieved to know that she already had friends. But she was still nervous. She was just moments away from being introduced to the group. How would they react to her? She was lost in her thoughts when the training master spoke. 

            "Your attention please!" He bellowed. This startles Christina enough to bring her back to the moment. "This is Christina of Heron's Grove. She is here to become a knight, just like the rest of you. She is starting a week late, but she is to be treated to same as any other page. Who will sponsor her?" 

            Barely a second passed by before someone spoke. "I will," Collin called from the second row. He gave Christina a supportive smile. Lord Laeorn was surprised, but didn't show it. 

            "Collin of Rebouqué will sponsor Christina of Heron's Grove," he called over the murmurs that erupted. He then turned his attention to the young girl. "Get in line over there, the teachers will help get you situated." With that, he left with out another word. 

            Christina walked over to Collin, who was waving emphatically at her. He had made room for her next to him. "I can't believe it! You're here! This is going to be great." She just nodded her head. 

            For the first time, she noticed all the turned heads staring in her direction. She heard all the murmurs and whispers. All she wanted to do was disappear. Then the teacher called for everyone's attention. 

            "Quiet, quiet. For those of you who don't know, or don't remember, my name is Sir Keneth. I am the hand combat instructor." His midnight eyes were directed at Christina. "Let's get started." 

            She then realized that she was a week behind her year mates, and that she was going to have to desperately try her hardest to catch up. She listened, and had no idea what her teacher was talking about. Was is wrong to seek extra help? She would have to ask her friends later. Until then, she was going to have to suffer the embarrassment of not knowing anything in the way of hand to hand combat. 'Great,' she thought to herself, 'this is going to be one very long day.'

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

Not my longest chapter, but not my shortest either!


	7. Meetings

A/N: Ahhh! I am so stressed out. I have a test today that I didn't study for. I feel like there's this huge hand just sucking all the life from me. I'm exhausted. For my Shakespeare English class, we went to a play that's an hour away. So we left at 6pm hoping to be back by 10pm. Yeah. There were three one hour-long acts. I didn't get home till 12:30. And I was dead by then and didn't get any of my work done. Oh well…. I have a new chapter for you. I wrote it earlier this week, which is why it hasn't taken me so long. Do you know why? Because I know what I'm writing about! I wasn't so sure on the plot before, but now I have it. I know where this story is going and how to get it there. Yeah! Some new characters in this chapter. Read and Review please! Oh yeah, and enjoy (if your not as stressed as I am)! 

**Aer**: I think this is the record for a fast update. Let me know what you think of this chapter, and if I'm going in the right direction or not. All my other chapters have been so slow, so I'm hoping to pick up the pace with the story.

**Raziella of Nosgoth**: I'm so happy that you read my story! And it makes me even happier that you like it! 

**Tigress FN**: Yeah, you like her mum! I don't know if I'd go as far as shooting Lord Feroun, but it made the review funny. You'll just have to wait and see if the training master will be unfair to her… 

**Lilith Ha**: Lord Feroun does have a strange way of doing things, but you have to understand that he was trapped into the situation. Also, he's confused about it himself. On one side, he wants it to be so hard for her that she fails, and so doesn't become a knight. And on the other hand, he wants her to get her shield for the only purpose of bringing honor to the family. Really, that's all her cares about. 

**Genevieve**: Thanks-so much for reviewing my story! I was so worried that I wouldn't be getting any more reviews till I updated next. I was so happy that I danced around the room. I hope you like this chapter. 

Chapter 7: Meetings

            Noise filled the brightly lit room. Colorful tapestries depicting battle scenes hung along the walls of the large hall. Tables and benches were lined up in the middle of the room. Pages were pushing and making their way towards the food line. After Christina had her tray, she followed her sponsor and her friends to a table and sat down. 

            "I am so hungry," she said, taking her fork.

            "Not yet," Bradley said. "We have to wait for Lord Laeorn." She sighed, putting down her fork and looking at her plate. The mounds of mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables we begging her to eat them. The smell of the delicious food made her stomach groan. 

            "Jeez… you must really be hungry," Collin stated looking at her stomach.

            "Don't remind me," she said. 

            Then George came and sat down next to her. She stiffened a bit. She didn't like being around him. Ever since that night…He knew too much about her. Somehow, he had known about her dream to become a knight, and on top of that, he knew she had a powerful gift. She couldn't hide it completely; some knew she had the gift, but didn't know how strong it was. That scared her, the fact that he knew something only extremely powerful mages could figure out, and he didn't even have that strong of a gift. 

            "Mmmm hmmm, this sure smells good," George smiled, ignored the fact that Christina moved towards her sponsor a little. 

            "We're not supposed to talk about food. It makes Christina hungry," Peter joked. She gave a weak laugh. 

            Suddenly, all the pages stood. Lord Laeorn had entered the room. He walked to the front of the hall and cleared his throat. "I hope your day was as hard as mine was," No one laughed at his failed joke. "There is a new page among you. Her name is Christina of Heron's Grove. She's her to become a knight, just like the rest of you." He glanced around the room to see the reaction. Some didn't care; others stretched their heads to try to get a look at her. "Quiet. May Mithros and the Holy Mother Goddess hear our prayer and protect us. So mote it be."

            "So mote it be." The hall echoed. Christina sat down hastily and dug her fork into her meal. She stuffed her face full of potatoes, and washed it down with a swig of cold milk. 

"Ok," Collin said through a face-full of food, "I should probably let you know who's who." Christina nodded her head, her mouth too full to answer. 

"Well, there's really only a couple of people to look out for," added Bradley.

"Yeah," Collin swallowed. "I was getting to that. Over there, at that table," Collin pointed to a group across the room. "Watch out for them."

"Their names are Cyrus of Xiphoron, Laoighis of Primgale, Geta of Wexiam, and Walter of Aesthium. Cyrus and Walt are cousins," said Brad.

"Yeah, can't you see the resemblance?" said Peter sarcastically. Walt had red hair and clear green eyes. Cyrus, on the other hand, had golden hair and chocolate colored eyes. Christina tried hard to match the names with their faces, and remember it. 

            "So, why do they hate you?" questioned Christina. Silence answered her question. Then someone unexpectedly spoke. 

            "Because Cyrus hates George," Brendan, who had been silent all afternoon, offered. 

            "Why –" But Christina was cut off.

            "I don't want to talk about it." George spoke, looking down at his plate as he twirled his fork in his potatoes. She took the hint, and made a mental note to ask him about it later. 'Maybe in a month or two,' she thought after seeing the grim look on his face. 

            After dinner, the group gathered their homework and headed to the library. There, Christina proceeded to try to catch up on all the work she had missed. History and lettering came easily to her. It was math and logistics that gave her trouble. Brendan tried as best he could to try to teach her, but it was useless. She just didn't get it. 

            Latter, once Christina was finished with her work, or rather given up, she retired to her room. She entered and realized that she still had to unpack her room. All her things were in bags scattered about the cubical. Too tired to do the task then, she moved the things that were on her bed to her floor. Changing quickly, she crawled in to bed. 

            'What a long day this was. And it was only a half-day at that! I'm never going to get the hang of all this work. And what about George? What happened between him and Cyrus that makes him hate George so much? It must be something awful, but the look he had on his face. I wonder…' But she never finished her thought. Sleep overtook her tired body.

~*~

        She didn't recognize her surroundings. She was in a strange place. A strange blue gray fog with golden sparkles reached up to her waist. There was no sky, or if there was, it was completely gray. No traces of stars, moon, or sun. In any other situation, she might have been scared. But somehow, she felt at home. Peacefulness of the mind took over her thoughts. Nothing could have disrupted her happiness. 

            _Christinaeara_, a strange, but beautiful voice called from beyond the fog. It seemed to echo all around her, playing with the thick mist and beckoning to her. She couldn't answer it. No words she could say could match the beauty of it. The word resonated all around her for what seemed like forever. Then the mist parted in front of her to reveal a woman. 

            The lady wore a sparkling blue robes tied with a gold cord. Her golden blonde hair hung loosely around her face, descending in waves down to her waist. Her white hands were folded over her stomach. Her pale complexion only added to her beauty. Rosy cheeks and full pink lips complemented her shocking blue eyes. They seemed to sparkle at the girl. 

            _Chrisinaeara_, the word came from the woman's lips. _Frischiaen kci diandes morchardé_. She spoke in an ancient tongue, which the girl had never heard before. Without thinking twice, the girl gave a deep bow before the lady. 

            Rising, she said, "Yes." 

            _Aie diandi lonjer quetindé chet nuwesant. Get heisenm de kcir veastiang iote koular surour kcir histibaculerae. Kci westes uil iorele octoa zienae amead de kci liogourer giom get mouchardant jiondelore. Suelio kci diandes get bioulg et get sdtaer cgafoer get diechruen_, the lady spoke gently and kindly. 

            "What must I do," the young girl replied. 

            The lady gave her a warm smile. _Kci hwouculai skio get taema morcharde. Koular, senicula. The lady started to disappear into the fog, but the girl stopped her._

            "Wait, please. I do not know who you are."

            The woman gave a loving smile towards the girl. _Aie beareri get Joides de Westion, Salaria._

The girl just stared at the woman, understanding all the woman told her in the ancient tongue. Somehow, the language was familiar to her. She watched as the mist wrapped around the goddess, enclosing her in blue fog and gold sparkles. The last thing she saw was the woman's luminous smile before she disappeared entirely behind the curtain of haze. 

            And then she was alone, with only the words the woman had said to keep Christina company. 

~*~

            The sun rose over the eastern hills lighting the city, and driving the darkness towards the horizon. With each morning, the sun rose later and later, making it harder to get out of bed. The birds in the courtyard began their morning duties, singing as they did so. Christina's body ached all over. She wasn't used to the tough work out she had exposed her body to the day before. It hurt to sit up. 

            'Why, oh why must I get up so early!' She thought. She groaned when she stood. Weaving in and out of the scattered bags, she dragged herself to the washstand. The cold water felt nice on her face. 'I had the strangest dream last night. Who was that woman and what was she saying to me? All I remember is understanding everything she said. But I don't remember now…' She was lost in her thoughts as she pulled on a pair on breaches and a shirt. The clothes gave more than enough room for movement. 

            She twisted her hair into two braids, pulled on her boots, grabbed her homework, and headed out to the hall. Collin was standing there, about to knock on her door, with a half-asleep look on his face. He was startled to see her.

            "Looks like you have no trouble getting up in the morning," he commented. 

            "Looks like you do," she smiled and he gave her a helpless look. "Come on, sleepy head, let's go to breakfast." She dragged him off his feet as they walked towards the dinning hall. 

            Once she got her tray, she sat down at the long oak table next to Bradley.  He seemed awake, but when she started talking to him, he only continued to stare at his plate. Exasperated, she poked him. Nothing. So, she poked him again. Sill, no reaction. 

            "Hey, what's wrong with Brad?" Christina questioned. 

            "Hm?" Peter said looking up. "Oh, he fell asleep again."

            "What?" she said confused. "With his eyes open?"

            "Yeah, he does it a lot in the mornings. Just knock him around and he'll wake up."

            "Knock him around?"

            "Yeah, just push him a bit," Peter shrugged. Christina looked at Brad again, and gave him a hard push. Sure enough, he woke up. 

            "Huh, wha.. wha… where… oh." Brad said, glancing at his surrounding. "Did I fall asleep again?"

            "Yup," Peter and Christina chorused.  Brad groaned. Just then, George came crashing through the doors. He paused, looked around, and when he spotted them, came running. 

            "I over slept again," he was breathing heavily. "Uh, hey.. are you going to eat that?" George said, pointing to a blueberry muffin on Christina's tray. 

            "You can have it." He snatched the muffin up, and it was gone within a couple of seconds. The bell rang, signaling that it was time to go to the first class, math. Christina groaned, took her stuff, and followed her year mates to the classroom.

            The class passed by slowly. She had to prove to Sir Gaudfridus that she knew at least some math. He had a hard time teaching her word problems, and she had a hard time understanding them. He assigned her four problems for homework. 

            When the next bell rang, Collin pushed her off to reading and writing. Again, she had to show the teacher what she could do. Sir Laomeden was impressed with her ability. For homework, he assigned her to read a chapter of a very large book. Groaning, she followed her sponsor to her next class, philosophy.

            All the pages were goofing around. The teacher was already 10 minutes late, a nice break for the pages who had no free time. Then a man in his mid forties entered. Her wore a faded navy tunic and old white hose. His graying blonde hair was uncombed and fell casually in his face. Despite his untidy appearance, his coffee colored eyes  sparkled like the stars at twilight at the group before him. 

            "Good morning!" He said cheerfully. 

            "Good morning, Sir Theophilus," they answered. 

            He frowned. "Not as jovial as I would have liked, but no matter. I see we have a new face with us." He looked at Christina. 

            "My name is –" 

            He interrupted her. "Please stand when you speak in this class," he said kindly.  Slowly, she stood.

            "My name is Christina of Heron's Grove." She said clearly. 

            "Welcome to my class, Christina. You may take your seat. Now, who did their homework and is well briefed on the philosopher Kwanbito Zoiromin." 

            Brendan's hand shot up, and the teacher called upon him. "Zoiromin is said to be the greatest philosopher of the his time, which was about 200 H.E. He specialized on human behavior. He argued against the idea that there is good in everyone. He believed that there are some people who are born without any goodness in their heart."

            "Very good. Can anyone tell me what he based his research on?" The room went silent, all save Brendan's movement of raising his hand. "No one except Brendan?" Theophilus sighed. "Thank you, Brendan. Ok, we're going to try something different. I'm going to pair you up, and after the two of you write a paragraph on it, you may leave." Voices started traveling through the class. "Ok, ok, quiet. George and Peter, Collin and Walter, Christina and…"

            She held her breath. 'Please let me be paired with Bren or Brad,' she gave a silent prayer to the goddess. "… and Cyrus…" She gulped, and looked over at him. He wore the same shocked expression on his face. 'What rotten luck I have,' she thought. 'They tell me to stay away from four people, and I can't escape them.' She sighed, took up her books and sat down next to Cyrus. 

            "Hi, I'm Christina," she offered.

            "I know who you are," he replied. 

            She didn't know what else to say, except, "I guess we better get started. Did you read the reading? Because I didn't. I had so much catch up work to do, and I was completely exhausted on top of that. They really do work you so hard here. I wonder why they do that?" When she was nervous, she tended to talk a lot. 

            "Ok, stop," he rolled his eyes. She sighed and looked over to her friends. Collin and Peter gave her sympathetic looks. 

            "Well, I don't want to sit here all day. I don't know about you, but I value my free time. Are you going to talk to me or not?" she said. 

            "Fine. Sure. Whatever," he sighed. "Zoiromin based his research on powerful leaders of his time, and the people around him. Happy?" 

            "No. What leaders?"

            "King Huilion of Aplisté in Tyra. Zoiromin claimed that he was born evil because throughout King Huilion's life, he caused unnecessary wars to increase the country's wealth. He always won, in the end, but it caused him huge numbers of casualties and much damage. Then, he used all his newfound wealth to build a magnificent castle. The idiot built it on a swamp, and the thing is ruins now. Zoiromin predicted that because of the king's evil heart, the country would never be able to rebuild itself to the powerful country it once was. He was right." 

            Christina was shocked. She hadn't expected him to know so much about history. She thought she knew a lot about history, but her knowledge didn't go as far back as his. "Well, that wasn't so hard. I didn't know you knew so much about history," she said. 

            "Yeah, my mother loved everything about history. She taught me everything that I know. I don't see what the big deal is," he started writing it all down on a scroll to hand in to Sir Theophilus. When he was done, he wrote both his and Christina's name on it, then handed it in. 

            "That was nice of you," she observed.

            He just shrugged. "It's nothing."  Then he gathered his things and walked through the door. She struggled after him, pencils and paper flying as she ran out of the room. "Wait!" she called. 

            He was already at the end of the hall. He stopped and slowly turned around, giving her a strange glance. She ran up to him. She opened her mouth, but then closed it again, unsure of what exactly she wanted to tell him. 

            "What is it?" he questioned. 

            She paused. "Uh.. I'm not sure how to say this, exactly. But, uh.." She looked into his eyes. "Um.. why do you hate George?" He raised his eyebrows.

            "He didn't tell you?" She shook her head. 

            "Is it really bad?" she asked. 

            He nodded then redirected his gaze to the floor. 


	8. Revelations

A/N: Yeah! Another chapter! I'm going to try to get on out every week. So far, I have done that three times in a row. * grins * Not much to say in this note… I hope your lives are going well, no school trouble, or boy trouble… here I go rambling again. On with the thank yous! 

**American Pie**: Oh, that sucks that you were grounded. But at least you can read my story now! I'm glad you're still interested in this. Thanks for your reviews!

**Tigress FN**: You get to find out the problem, but I'm not going to comment on it, yet. Yup, the story should be on a roll now. Yeah! Enjoy this chapter. 

**Lady Knight**: Thanks for your review. I'm glad that my first ever cliffhanger worked out. Thanks for noticing it. 

**Aer**: In your last review you said, "You are best with your banter between the boys." What do you mean by that? Yes, Cyrus is complex. Not what I expected him to be, but some characters have a way of taking on their own personalities. Let me know how this chapter works out. 

**Lilith Ha**: Everyone seems to like Cyrus! He isn't the typical bully, nor does he seem to be one at all. Hmmm… Thanks for the review. Enjoy!

**Moranar**: Yeah! She is a page now! But things will start to get a little more complicated with chapters to come. Thanks for your review! 

Chapter 8: Revelations 

The room held a constant murmur of small voices. The air was thick and getting heavy; all the windows in the classroom were closed. Pages sat huddled over parchment and notes, trying to figure out just why the famous philosopher Kwanbito Zoiromin was so famous. Peter was interrupted from his thoughts when pencils and paper flew behind Christina as she ran out of the room. 

            "I wonder why she's in such a rush," whispered Peter to George, who looked up just in time to see her turn the corner. He shrugged. 

            "Maybe she remembered something…" George remarked. 

            "I don't know… she seemed in a hurry to catch up with Cyrus." George visibly stiffened when Peter said that. 

            "What would she want with him," was the firm reply. 

            Peter shrugged and raised his hands in defense, "How should I know?"

~*~

Cyrus stared at the ground, tracing the stone patterns with his eyes. He was musing to himself whether or not to tell her, after all, she was a friend of _his_, George. He took a breath, raising his head to look down at her. She stared up at him with big blue, pleading eyes. Somehow, he felt he could tell her, just by looking in those eyes. 

Christina could tell that he was uncertain. After all, why should he tell her anything? It was his business, and she really didn't know him at all. It was a very personal question, but she needed to know. She looked up into his chocolate eyes, begging without words. Then he spoke.

"About five years ago," he paused a moment, "my sister, Lady Adelpha of Xiphoron, was at age to come to court to find a husband. She was radiant, and gorgeous with flowing yellow hair and the brightest brown eyes you've ever seen," his eyes were sparkling with happiness at the memory. "She was so full of life, until," he gulped, and Christina noticed that his eyes darkened again, "George's brother, Sir Taren of Amictass."

            'George's brother? I didn't know he had a brother. What does he have to do with this?' she thought to herself. Cyrus continued. 

            "He raped her."

            "Oh, gods," Christina whispered in full shock at the statement. 

            "He raped Adel," his voice was sad. "Of course she became pregnant, and left court immediately. Her chances of a happy life are ruined. She now spends all her days at home moping with her child. Who would want her now? But that's not the worst of it. She's… different. She's not happy. She never laughs. I miss her smile, and her beaming demeanor. The sister I knew and loved is gone forever, Sir Taren killed her…" Cyrus trailed off in his thoughts. 

            "But wouldn't Sir Taren see his mistake and marry her, reestablishing her honor?" she asked, trying to find some hope in the situation. 

Cyrus only shook his head, and gave no further explanation as he continued to gaze over Christina's head at nothing in particular. She could see the sadness enclose him like a cloak in the dead of night. She felt for his sister, for who could understand more than another girl could. 

             Suddenly, Cyrus became angry. "But what would you care? You don't know me. Your friends with George, the same scum that ruined my sister's life."

            "Wait a –"

            "Who knows, maybe my sister's not the first to have crossed with Sir _Taren_." He said the word with absolute disgust. "Who knows how many girls there have been or will be. I bet the same ruthless genes run through George. If you chose to consort with that type, you may. But I have no wish to associate with George or anyone who chooses to." He glared at her, almost blaming her for the misfortune of his sister. Before she could protest to anything he had said, he stalked off towards his room. 

            She was stunned at what had just happened. 'I can't believe that George's brother would do such a terrible thing! But surely Cyrus can't blame him for what his brother did to his sister. That's just not fair.' She looked down the hall, which Cyrus had used. 'I almost feel bad for him, not being able to deal with what happened. It had to have had a serious effect on him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten so angry with me for no reason at all.'

            She shrugged and continued on her way towards her room. She entered, and saw her packed things. She put down her notes, and started to unpack, all the while trying to make connection with what she had just learned with the George she knew. 

~*~

            The afternoon dragged on for Christina. Whenever she looked at George, she couldn't help but wonder about him and his family. He noticed this change in her attitude towards him. She had distanced herself from him, but now he felt it more than ever. Training was had work for her. Since she had been raised as a noble's daughter, she didn't have any training, except for the bow, which she was able to teach herself, with some help form a friend. Her gender didn't help either; she was much weaker than her year mates were. She accumulated many bruises and scraps, the result of being too slow with her blocks. 

She was relieved when it was time for the bow. 'A nice break from hard work,' she thought to herself. The archery master was very impressed with her skills at the short bow. Too bad for her he came up with the idea of having her shoot while lying on the ground. It was terribly hard, and she went the whole hour without hitting the target at all. 

            Christina was grateful when training was over, and she was allowed to return to her chamber to soak in a nice hot bath. She scented water worked well on her aching muscles and scattered bruises. She changed into a fresh pair of breeches and a linen shirt, which fit a little too loosely for her taste. She twisted her hair into a braid. She thought about adding a blue ribbon, but decided against it. She didn't want to be made fun of by the boys. There came a knock on her door.

            Opening the wood door, she saw George. She was surprised to see him, but not that surprised. She was bound to talk to him sooner or later. George decided that it would be sooner rather than later. 

            "Can I come in?" he asked

            "Yeah, sorry," she said. 

            "You seem to have a habit of leaving your visitors in the hall," he joked. She gave a weak laugh, and he frowned. "What's wrong? You haven't been acting yourself lately."

            "And how would you know? We haven't known each other for very long," she pointed out. 

            He shrugged. "So, you're not the same person I met three nights ago in the library. That person was more assertive. You're more distant now. Something has changed."

            "I'm just more tired now," she defended. "I'm busier than I was before. I don't have time," she lied. The truth was, she just wasn't herself around George. For some reason, she felt like he could see strait into her when she was honest with him. That scared her more than anything. It frightened her that someone she hadn't known that long knew so much about her. 

            "Alright," he said mockingly, raising his eyebrows at her. "Whatever you say." She knew he didn't believe her. There he went again, seeing right through her lie. "We best get going though."

            "Where? We have an hour before diner," she said. 

            "Yeah, Gift Lessons. Those who have the gift, like you, go to Master Leodonis to train."

            "Great," she groaned. "More training." She followed George out into the hall, as he smiled at her displeasure the whole time. 

~*~

            The pages who had the Gift were lined up in a row in the magic room. The walls were high, and they came together at the ceiling in an arch. The room was globe shaped. It was cold. The stone walls had no tapestries to keep the draft out. The only thing that was in the room was a table with a single candle on it. Master Leodonis entered the room. He was tall with gray hair and beard. His smoky blue eyes were dazzling as he looked at the group before him. 

            "Good afternoon, or should I say good evening. These days just keep getting shorter and shorter, darker and darker. That's why we are going to start with a smile spell. Lighting a candle," he said as he pointed to the one on the table. "Let's see, who should go first?" 

            He scanned the group. Not one page raised their hand to go first. He would have to choose. As he looked again, he saw a new face. 'How could I have missed the new one? They didn't tell me she had the gift. No matter.' He walked towards Christina. "You. Your name please."

            His blunt tone startled her. "Christina, milord."

            "You have the gift?"

            "Yes sir." He took up one of her hands and checked. He pushed his red Gift into hers, but it was blocked. He tried to push around it, but he couldn't escape the shield that was there. He did, however, sense her Gift's presence. He just couldn't tell how strong it was.

            "Hmm…" He mused. "Yes, you do have to Gift, but there seems to be something blocking it. Can you use it?" He questioned. 

            "Yes sir," she answered. 

            "Let's see then. Light the candle." He stepped aside, giving her some space. She sighed. Christina focused on the candle, and blinked her eyes. Instantly, the wick was engulfed in rose flame and with a spurt, lit. 'Easy,' she thought to herself.

            "Interesting," he thought to himself. 'Strange. I'm not able to get to her Gift because of these shields, but she can get through them to use her magic. I'll have to write to Master Numair. Maybe he knows something.' 

            The rest of the class proceeded to try to light the candle with their Gift's. It took George five times, but he finally got it. Some of the pages didn't get it at all. Christina was bored the whole time, having done the spell on the first try, and every time after. The homework was to work on this skill for next week's class. They only met once a week. 

            When it was over, the group went to the dining hall for dinner. Christina spent the rest of the night doing homework and finishing unpacking her room. It was getting a little annoying having to jump over bags here and there. When she was finished, she fell into bed and sleep consumed her almost immediately. 


	9. Spring

A/N: I am listing to Jimmy Buffet. "Blew out my flip flop, stepped on a pop top…. Wasting away in margaritaville…" I'm trying to make myself believe that it actually is spring, when in reality, there is snow on the ground. Can you believe it? Snow in April! Anyway, I'm very sorry for the length of time between my last update, and this one. I was on spring break (without the luxury of a computer) and then back at school, where they have been keeping me extra busy. But to make up for it, it's a very long chapter. Yeah! Let me know what you think! 

Aer: You're right. It was way too poetic. What was I thinking! I must not ever do that again. Yes. Oh, I'm so upset that I can't come to your play! I wish I could come. I'll be there in spirit. I think my game on Sat. will be canceled (due to the snow) so maybe we can hang out. Give me a call! 

Moranar: What do you mean that her development is coming along confuzzled? What should I try to improve upon? I'm sorry for it. I've been rushing the story to try to make everyone older. The good stuff doesn't happen until then. I also apologize for the candle thing. I don't have most of the books (I borrowed them all) and I had forgotten a lot about the Gift. I'll try harder in the future. (also, I again owe this chapter to you. Keep nagging me to post more, because it really works!) 

Lady of the Lilacs: Your right. It is ridiculous that Cyrus blames everyone for the misfortune of his sister, but that's just part of his character. He was hurt by it, and this is just his way of dealing with the pain. 

Lilith Ha: Thanks so much for reviewing! It was unexpected, but that's what I was going for. Most things are predictable. Enjoy this chapter!

balloonfuzz: Thanks so much for reading! Yeah, a new reviewer! I just have to say that I am not the author of 'seat of the magpie.' Aer is. She also has other great stories. Next time you get bored, check it out!

Genevieve: sorry this has taken so long to update! I hope this chapter is more interesting than the last. 

@à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- @à-- 

Chapter 9: Spring 

Christina ran through the trees. Bright green foliage hung overhead and brushed underfoot. Small flowers began to poke through the thinning blanket of snow. Spring had come. 

"Hey, wait up Chris!" cried George. 

She sighed as she slowed her pace, stopping at a small clearing in the forest. She rolled her eyes and turned around. "Hurry up. We're almost there."

He sat down on a near by log. "How do you know for sure? I think we're lost."

"We're not lost," she replied evenly.

"But how do you know? We've been wandering aimlessly for hours." He looked up through the trees at the sun to emphasize his point.

"We still have time."

"Yes, but we should be back by now. Sir Theophilus said it would never take this long." He looked a little worried.

"Alright, alright. Maybe we are lost." Christina sat down next to him. 

"What are we going to do, Chris?" During the winter months, the other pages, mostly her friends, had shortened her name. Although it sounded like a boy's name, Christina gladly adopted it. It made her feel that much closer to being one of the guys. 

She shrugged. "How am I supposed to know that. I didn't get us into this mess."

"Oh really?" he said sardonically. "Just like it wasn't your fault that you, Collin, and I got stable duty."

"That wasn't my fault!" She protested. "I told you, Collin pushed me."

"Right. Uh huh. And you just happened to fall into me."

"Yeah."

George rolled his eyes. "Maybe. But that doesn't make up for me being yelled at more than you two." About a month ago, the three we standing in the armory, when Collin decided to play a trick. He pushed Chris purposefully into George, who by chance was standing next to the suits of armor. Crash. Crash. Crash. The entire row of polished armor collapsed. It might have been funny, for Collin, but Sir Laeorn by some fortune was standing at the other end of the row. Oblivious, one suit caught the man he was talking with off balance. Chris had managed to become upright before the angry training master came their way. They all received punishment for being so careless around important training equipment.

"Well, that wasn't my fault… entirely. But this is different. You had a part in this too."

George groaned. There was a momentary silence between them. "I guess we should wait for someone to find us." 

"What!"

"What else do you propose?" She didn't answer. "I'm sure people are already looking for us." He said.

"Yeah." She started to trace shapes in the dirt with her foot. Then she turned her attention to the wooded area around her, looking for something.

"What is it?" George asked. 

She smiled and walked over to a pile of fallen branched and picked one about her height out. "I can't just sit around and be idle. I need to practice." George sighed. 

She started to do some warm-up exercises before moving into some drills her staff master had recently shown her. 

George sat and watched her for a while as she repeated the same drill. She then moved into a slightly more complex drill. He watched as her makeshift staff became tangled in her arms. She did this over and over again, always making the same mistake. 

"You've improved," he said after he got the impression that she had become fully discouraged.

"Really?" A smile crept across her face,

"Yeah. A month ago you couldn't even do that drill."

She frowned, lowered her staff and sat down next to her friend. "I'm never going to get it right. Sir Keneth is always yelling at me and singling me out."

"That's only because you need some help now and then. He's trying to help you. Besides, it's only the staff you have problems in."

"And hand combat, and trick riding, and knife fighting, and logistics, and –"

"Ok! No one's perfect. Besides, you're good at archery, history, and writing. Mithros knows I'd die to be able to write like you. I can't even read my own script most of the time." 

"It's just so frustrating sometimes," she confessed. 

"Yeah…" he trailed off. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Meanwhile, in a far away country… 

Anwar paced angrily across the dark room, taking sips of his wine as he mumbled to himself. His curly red hair bounced around his face. A soft breeze entered the room though the window, failing to lighten the tension.

"I can't stand it!" Anwar yelled, slamming his glass into the opposite wall. 

"Calm down," a man sitting behind the desk said, taking short sips from his own glass. 

"How can I remain calm at a time like this? The country is falling apart."  

"No, it's been falling apart for many years. It is only now that the revolution has become apparent." 

"Yes, but –" Anwar started. 

"There are no 'buts' in this situation," the man said sternly, his cold blue eyes setting icily on the man. "Our plan relies solely on this revolution, without it we have nothing. You must trust in it." 

"How can I have faith? The Gods have abandoned us, my lord."

"Exactly. We must stay strong to lead our country back to prosperity. And you know as well as I the path that we must take." 

"Yes, my lord." Anwar looked at him, trying to understand. He had the composure of a king, but the mind of a dangerous criminal, seeking revenge. Revenge, Anwar thought. Nothing else seemed to affect him now. It had been many years since he had seen happiness in his friend's eyes. Years since anyone had seen wealth and life in the country. 

"We must wait now, wait for history to take its course. Only after will our plans begin to take shape." The man looked to Anwar now, who nodded his agreement. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Silence spanned the distance between Chris and George. She twirled the stick she was holding in her hands. She could sense his eyes on her, and it almost made her feel uncomfortable. Almost…

George watched her, and thought to himself. 'Why does she seem so tense around me? Why can't she just treat me the same as all the others? What did I do? She doesn't act herself when she's around me…. Why?' George mused to himself, his eyes never leaving her freckled face.  

She knew he was still watching her. Watching… he had been doing that a lot lately. Chris began to feel nervous. "Why are you staring at me?" 

"I'm just thinking," he answered, eyes unblinking. 

Uncertainty filled her body, and she unconsciously shifted away from him. 

"Why do you always do that?" he asked.

"Huh?" 

"Whenever I'm with you, you just, move away. What did I do?" He asked, his green eyes never leaving hers. 

She didn't know what to say. "It's nothing," she lied. 

His shoulders relaxed, his features becoming skeptical. "I just don't understand. Sometimes we joke and have fun, but other times, you just seem so distant. Tell me what's wrong. And please don't lie to me." 

How could she refuse those pleading eyes? "The year sure has gone by fast." 

A slight curve of amusement twisted his frown. "Christina…" She tightened the grip on her makeshift staff. No one, not even Lord Leaorn, had called her that in months, always opting to use her nickname. It only heightened her uneasiness. 

'Why won't he let this go?' She thought to herself. She silently cursed in frustration. 'He planned this. We're lost and have no where to go, no escape.' She cursed again, flustered. 

"I don't know what it is," she started.

"Don't lie, don't you trust me?" He asked.

"No." The word came out before she could stop it. She dropped her stick as her hands flew to her mouth in shock. Pain and sadness flickered in his eyes before it was glazed over.

"Why?" was the only word he could manage to say, and the only word that Chris needed to hear. 

"George… I…" 

"Just answer the question." 

She stared at the ground in front of her. 'Oh gods, what do I say? The truth?' 

'Yes,' a small voice in the back of her head told her. She sighed, and looked at him. "I… um… don'ttrustyoubecauseyouknowtoomuchaboutme, anditscaresme, and youalwaysseemtoknowwhatI'mthinkingandhowI'mfeeling. Itoldyouthatnight thatwefirstmet." She spoke fast, making it hard for him to understand.

"Told me what? And slow down." 

"Right. I told you," she paused, "that no one had known that I wanted to become a knight, and you did. That right there just scared me. You seemed, seem, to know me so well, and I hadn't, haven't, known you for that long. You always see straight through my lies. It scares me," she confessed. 

His expression didn't give his thoughts away. "I scare you," he repeated. 

"No, just the fact that you know so much about me without really knowing me. Does that make sense?" Her nervousness disappeared. The mere act of telling him made her feel more at ease around him. She knew it was just one more reason to be uneasy around him, but she ignored it this time. 

"I guess. Is that why you've acted so distant around me?"

"Yeah," she said. 

"Yeah, I could see why you'd act like that. I'm sorry for scaring you. You know, it scared me too."

She was stunned. "What scared you?" She said after a minute, almost fearing his answer. 

"That I knew so much about you. I guess it's like a sixth sense. Sometimes I can just tell some things about people. And when they confirm it, it's no surprise to me because I saw it coming. You know?" 

Just then, loud noises echoed from behind some bushes, putting to conversation on hold. Peter, Collin, Brad, and Brendan came crashing trough the foliage, closely followed by Sir Theophilus and the rest of the class. 

"There you two are. What took you so long?" said Peter.

"Yeah, what took you so long?" echoed Bren. Peter rolled his eyes. 

"We got lost," answered George. 

"Lost? How could you have gotten lost? The palace is just beyond those bushes there," Collin said, pointing. 

"I told you!" Chris said victoriously. "I told you I knew where I was going! We really weren't lost!" 

"Well we were for a little while at least," George retorted. 

"That's because you wouldn't ask for my help. Boys…" She pushed the hair back from her face.  

"Yeah, boys…" Peter said, mocking Chris' gesture. They all laughed. 

"Hem," Sir Theophilus cleared his throat to get their attention. "I'm glad you two weren't really lost. Maybe this class project got a little out of hand. Next time I'll give you a map so you can find your way out of the Royal Forest." Laughter followed. "Come, class, let's head back for dinner." Sir Theophilus led the class back towards the palace.

On the way, Chris and George relayed their tracking experience to their friends, leaving out the last details of their conversation. 

Before entering the castle, George hung back, leading Chris to do the same. "We didn't really get to finish back there."

"I guess," was the only thing she could say. 'Hadn't we? I told him everything that I needed to say… didn't I?' She thought to herself. 

"Let's just promise that if you ever have a problem, whether is has to do with me or not, that you'll come to me, and I'll go to you. This whole thing just blew out of proportion, and ruined the whole year for us. Promise?" 

"Yeah, ok." She managed to say before rejoining the group. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

_Dear Lord Leodonis,_

_            It was a pleasure to receive your letter. Thank-you for your concern about my travels. I apologize for taking so long to send an answer. King Jonathan has been keeping me extremely busy. _

_            This young girl whom you speak of sounds very interesting. From what you described in your letter, it seems she is just hiding her Gift. The question is, why? This only she can answer, which is why I would like to meet her. I will return to Corus in two weeks time. If it is at all possible, could you arrange for a meeting for me with her? I will be forever in your debt. _

_Sincerely, _

_            Numair Salamin _

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


End file.
